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The online gambling operator 888 has received the license to operate in he Portuguese market with the [URL="https://poker.888.pt/"]888 Poker[/URL] brand.

This is the second poker brand to operate in the country and will operate under the domain 888poker.pt.

One of the motivations to expand the business into Portugal and other European countries is the new [URL="https://www.gpwa.org/forum/commission-reportedly-approves-portugal-share-poker-liquidity-231520.html"]sharedpoker liquidity law[/URL], which allows poker players from Spain and Portugal (and soon maybe Italy and other Euro countries) to all play under the same platform. This new law ensures a large pool of players across different time frames under regulated markets.

“[I]Portugal s a fantastic opportunity for 888 and we’re excited to be just the second poker operator to enter the market. Players love their poker and there is incredible scope to grow its popularity,” [/I]888’s head of B2C, Guy Cohen, said.

“[I]Shared liquidity with 888poker.es will enhance players’ gaming experience with a greater pool of players and we believe our platform can help lift the entire landscape for poker in Portugal.”

[/I]888 poker offers various online poker formats along with branded unique games like SNAP and BLAST. The company is known for offering great promotional offers to new players that go from deposit bonuses to freeroll tournament tickets. The progressive Knockout Tournament is also a unique feature that offers bonus cash to new players.

Confirmation of the new market member came with the news from the Portuguese regulator, Serviço Regulação e Inspeçãode Jogos do Turismo de Portugal (SRIJ), that the i-gaming country generated [URL="https://www.igamingbusiness.com/news/portugal-sets-another-new-igaming-revenue-record-q2"]record revenue during the first quarter[/URL] of the year, €47.3m (£42.4m/$53.4m) in revenue during the three months of the year, up 43.8% [URL="https://www.gpwa.org/forum/portugal-igaming-revenue-rises-39-1-during-q3-2019-a-251021.html"]from 2019[/URL]. Considering last year was a record year with immense growth compared to 2018, this is an indication the market has yet to reach its full growth. Online casinos generated more revenue last year compared to sports betting, with slots accounting to 70% for most of the revenue. Roulette and blackjack followed.

The online poker industry remains small compared to sports betting and online casinos in the country, with a market share of 13.9%.Hopefully 888 poker can shift this stat around. While sports betting is usually extremely popular, it follows season shifts as sport tournaments enter the recess period. Football remains the most popular sport to bet on among the Portuguese, with a market share of 70%. Tennis was second, followed by basketball.

During 2019 the SRIJ has issued dozens notices to offshore operators without a permit to cease activities and shut down. The same amount of requests was issued to internet service providers to block specific domains so locals cannot access them. It is estimated that only [URL="https://www.gpwa.org/forum/survey-only-6-players-portugal-bet-exclusively-illegal-sites-250478.html"]6% of the market[/URL] make use of illegal websites. This is a positive signal to operators who feared a [URL="https://www.gpwa.org/forum/bad-news-portuguese-operators-246369.html"]taxing escalation[/URL] for the i-gaming market in 2019 which fortunately did not came to be.

888 casino has also been approved to operate in Portugal. The total amount of licenses approved amount to 16. These include the offering of online poker cash games, poker tournaments, slots, French roulette among others. Poker variants to be offered include Hold e’m, Omaha, 3 Card Stud and Non-discard poker (Caribbean Stud). The online casino’s domain is 888.pt with live games being offered in the present, poker will be available soon.